Combined internal medicine/psychiatry residency training objectives

The primary objective of the UC Davis Combined Internal Medicine/Psychiatry Residency Program is to train physicians with broad-based skills in both internal medicine and psychiatry. Graduates from the program will also have expertise in areas that combine the skills and knowledge of both disciplines to effectively treat common medical conditions relating to: substance and alcohol abuse, somatoform disorders, delirium, eating disorders, mood/anxiety disorders, chronic pain, AIDS/HIV, diabetes management, nutrition, palliative care and geriatric care. A strong emphasis will be placed on providing comprehensive medical/psychiatric care to underserved patients.

Professional creativity is encouraged and it is anticipated that most graduates from the program will become experts in a sub-specialized internal medicine/psychiatry niche. Each resident will pursue scholarly activity, preferably in areas that demonstrate the interface between general medicine and psychiatry. A research faculty mentor will be assigned to each resident early in the second year of training and at least four weeks of protected time will be allocated for research.

UC Davis Internal Medicine/Psychiatry residents will be encouraged to assume leadership roles within and external to UC Davis. With the continuous support of, and supervision by faculty, residents will have the opportunity to participate in the ongoing development of the program, including curriculum development and mentoring of medical students, particularly students interested in psychiatry, internal medicine or combined training. Residents will have a sizeable role in the overall direction of the program.

The success of the program (as well as the training experience for each resident) will, in part, be measured by the following outcomes: completion of one or more scholarly projects during residency training, graduation from the program, board certification in both disciplines, and continued practice of both disciplines after completion of training. Because the journey and the destination are often equally important, one of the key markers of success is to simply have fun!